Tourists and a flea market

I just realized that we hadn't been in to see Oslo since we moved here in the beginning of August... so since Maja didn't have to go to school on Friday (they got Friday off since they had to "work" at the charity event on Thursday evening) and hubby was off work on Friday as well, we decided to spend the day as tourists... in Oslo!

So, of course, we had to do all the touristy things like: - take photos in front of pretty fountains,
-Take a picture in front of the Opera house, and walk onto the roof of same house
- lie down and enjoy the sunshine
- take photo with the guard in front of the King's castle

Well, enough of the touristy things... When we took Susie out for a walk in her push chair to get her to sleep on Saturday, we came by a flea market.... Heheyyy.... In we strode to see if we could do a bargain... It's been years, and I mean years (probably a decade or two), since I went to a proper Norwegian flea market. I was a bit apprehensive, bringing this stack of fabric to the lady behind the desk... thinking this will be a fortune (everything is expensive here), but boy was I wrong... Happy happy joy joy... I paid next to nothing for this... Some of the bits are quite small but a couple of these fabrics were huge!
I also found these wall hangers that I'm sure I can use for something.
I've already found use for the blue one. I cross stitched this dream catcher... ehhh... (blush)... five years ago, and I still haven't hung it on the wall. I didn't have a wall hanger for it... All it needs now is some interfacing on the back and it's ready to hang.
Just a detail of the dream catcher. I used beads and metallic thread for effect on it. I can't wait to hang it in my bedroom...

Advent....

It's finished!!! I know I haven't really kept you updated on this one... but I didn't really feel like posting christmas stuff just after christmas.... Anyway.... Maja's advent calendar is now finished. It turned out pretty good, I think, with cross stitched borders directly onto the fabric and not on aida bands as the chart said.

I managed to get hold of some small rings which I sewed on to hang small parcels from (instead of making pockets from aida band).

And this is it! All set for counting down to christmas eve.... I haven't been able find any suitable bellpull ends for it, so I've used a long knitting needle through the top... It'll have to do this year....

Gym bag

My eldest daughter Maja started school last month, and every belonging has to be named. So for her gym bag I cross stitched this little name tag.

For Sebastian

As you know, I've been quite busy cross stitching lately...... The advent calendar is still not finished..... but I've managed to finish this birth sampler for Sebastian (my hubbys niece's baby). It was a christmas present, so I kind of had to make it before christmas. Hope he is pleased with it.....

Update II

This is how far I've come on the advent calendar..... I've finished the top pic plus the three first borders. Just another two borders and the bottom picture to go.... Will I make it in time??? Probably not since I've got another cross stitcing project going.... it's going to be a christmas present, so I can't put a picture of it on here just yet.... sshhhhhh...

Back to the advent calendar..... I've altered it a bit.... The borders are supposed to be stitched on aida bands and then sewn on to make pockets for the advent sweets..... but I don't fancy the pocket idea (it makes the calendar buckle and twist when you put things in it) so I'm stitching the motives directly onto the calendar itself. I'm then going to put small rings next to each number so you can hang small parcels from them instead. That way I'm not that restricted in size of what I want to put in the calendar...... I have no idea where to get small rings though.... but I know they are out there somwhere.....

Update..

... on my cross-stitching. Here's a picture of the calendar before I did the back stitch on the top bit:


And here is the top picture of the advent calendar finished, with back stitch:

Huge difference.... isn't it. It always amazes me how much the back stitch brings the picture to life.....

The back stitch on this bit was really.... uh.... phewww.... boring. Normally I don't really mind doing the back stitch, but on this picture it was very very small stitches (some just a quarter of an aida square) so it was very time consuming and you needed a lot of concentration to keep track. I think I spent as much time on the back stitch as on the cross stitch itself....

I have fininshed the top border (under the teddy) and started the second border as well, but I haven't got a photo of that yet. Will do a bit more and then do another update....

Cross stitching

I've been cross stitching for a few years now, and I really enjoy it! I've done quite a few pictures. And this year I decided to make Maja an advent calendar. I only started 4 (or is it 5) days ago, and this is the result so far. It's gonna look something like the picture on the right.... Hope I will have time to finish it before december.... something I really doubt.... but I'm gonna try!